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Infant mortality rate falls in Cuyahoga County in 2016, early data shows

Updated July 21, 2017 at 9:07 AM;Posted July 20, 2017 at 10:09 AM

Preliminary data on Cuyahoga County's 2016 infant mortality rate show a drop in the number of infant deaths that year-- down to 126 from 155 the previous year. That makes 2016's infant mortality rate 8.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, down from 10.5 in 2015. The national rate is less than 6.

Preliminary data on Cuyahoga County's 2016 infant mortality rate show a drop in the number of infant deaths that year-- down to 126 from 155 the previous year. That makes 2016's infant mortality rate 8.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, down from 10.5 in 2015. The national rate is less than 6. (Lisa DeJong, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The infant mortality rate in Cuyahoga County fell 17 percent last year to 8.6 deaths per 1,000 live births, down from 10.4 the year before, according to data released this morning at a community meeting of the city-county infant mortality initiative, First Year Cleveland (FYC).

One-hundred-and-twenty-six babies died before reaching a first birthday in the county in 2016, according to the preliminary data, a significant drop from the year before, when the number of infant deaths was 155.

"This preliminary data is good news, but there's lots of work to do to make sure this decline isn't an anomaly," Kevin Kelley, Cleveland City Council president said in a written statement. "We're optimistic that the work we've invested in with First Year Cleveland will be a permanent, positive change."

As in previous years, the most common causes of infant deaths last year were preterm and low birthweight, sleep-related deaths, birth defects, and other medical causes.

Preterm births accounted for 53 percent of all infant deaths in 2016, a slightly smaller proportion than the year before, when early births accounted for 56 percent of deaths. Of the 67 infant deaths due to prematurity, 77 percent were extremely preterm, at 23 weeks gestation or less, according to FYC's data (see below).

2016 Infant mortality statistics, Cuyahoga CountyFirst Year Cleveland

Analysis of the data shows that among the women who lost babies in 2016:

91 percent initiated prenatal care during either the first or second trimesters;

1.8 percent received no prenatal care;

64 percent were black and 32 percent were white.

The data is still unaudited, meaning that it could change as all the information is finalized. But in most years, final infant mortality rates don't differ by more than a percentage point from unaudited estimates, said FYC Executive Director Bernadette Kerrigan.

The group plans to continue to publish data on infant deaths more quickly than it's been available in the past, Kerrigan said, with a goal to publish the information each month on the FYC website, set to launch in September.

The infant mortality rate for black infants was more than three times as high as the rate for white infants, at 3.3. This ratio has continued to climb despite the improvement in the overall infant death rate.

"Two out of every three infant deaths were to black babies. That's not acceptable," said Chris Kippes, director of epidemiology, surveillance and informatics for the Cuyahoga County Board of Health. "We have a ways to go, and that's why we're in this room today."

FYC shared the data at a community meeting that included a presentation from Baltimore's B'More for Healthy Babies infant mortality initiative, which has reduced that city's infant mortality rate by 38 percent since its launch in 2009.

"Maternal health is the driver of our infant mortality issue in Baltimore," said Rebecca Dineen, assistant commissioner of maternal and child health for the Baltimore City Health Department, who spoke at the meeting. The city has made racial equity a primary focus of its work, especially in the past year.

In its recently released strategic plan, First Year Cleveland has said it intends to reduce the racial disparity in infant deaths in Cuyahoga County, though the group has not yet set specific goals to reach or a timeline to reach them.

Kerrigan said the group invited Dineen to speak to "challenge" the plan Cleveland has set out and share what's worked for them, especially in the area of sleep-related deaths and in implementing a city-wide prenatal risk assessment for all pregnant women.

"We didn't want to reinvent the wheel here," Kerrigan said. "They've proven they know how to do it, and if Baltimore can do it, why can't we?"